DISH OF THE WEEK: Salsa Macha from SOBRE MASA

Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City

I’m willing to bet when most Americans hear the word salsa, they think of the jars of chunky tomatoes that are used for a chip dip at every Sunday sports gathering. But in fact that is just one type of salsa. And not the most exciting one either if you ask me.

The word salsa literally means “sauce” in Spanish and is a very broad category for sauces to enhance foods in Mexico (and elsewhere now).

Salsa macha is one of those salsas and one that until recently was tough to find around the US. Now it seems to be everywhere.

I tried it recently at two separate Brooklyn tortillerias (where they make their own masa for tortillas). At For All Things Good, the salsa was smeared onto an incredible tlayuda that made up my favorite dish of last year.

And at Sobre Masa, I tried it on their purple corn quesadilla and was able to bring a jar home myself to savor for long after the quesadilla ended.

Sobre Masa recently moved from their pop-up in south Williamsburg to the heart of Bushwick. I have yet to visit their new café but liked the food in Williamsburg so much that I wanted to continue their flavors at home.

Their salsa macha is an oil-based sauce with chunks of pumpkin seeds, garlic, and dried chili. Its earthy and slightly spicy flavors play really nicely with sweet notes from corn tortillas. But It also enlivens just about anything I have put it on.

Another wonderful thing about this salsa is much like a crispy Asian chili sauce, this provides both a bit of heat and some really fun crunchy textures.

If you are only accustomed to chunky jarred salsa, you’ve got a lot to experience. And this is a great starting point.